Markey, Gomez win in primary election for U.S. Senate in Mass.

Tuesday’s primary election for the U.S. Senate was a study in contrasts as Democrats chose a 36-year congressman running on his record and GOP voters backed a political novice promising to be a new breed of Republican.

By David Riley

The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA

By David Riley

Posted May. 1, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated May 1, 2013 at 1:01 AM

By David Riley

Posted May. 1, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated May 1, 2013 at 1:01 AM

» Social News

Tuesday’s primary election for the U.S. Senate was a study in contrasts as Democrats chose a 36-year congressman running on his record and GOP voters backed a political novice promising to be a new breed of Republican.

U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, D-5th, secured about 57 percent of the vote, a decisive margin over his rival, Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-8th.

Republican Gabriel Gomez, a former Navy SEAL and private equity investor from Cohasset, trounced his opponents with just over 50 percent of his party’s vote.

Following a distant second was Michael Sullivan, a former federal prosecutor, with about 36 percent of the vote. State Rep. Dan Winslow, R-Norfolk, trailed with 13 percent.

In his victory speech, Gomez, 47, whose only previous election experience is an unsuccessful run for selectman in his town, said he is no slick-talking politician and invoked his upbringing by Colombian immigrant parents.

He talked about term limits and the national debt, but he also tried to strike an independent tone, saying if voters want a rigid partisan, “I’m not your guy.”

“If you’re looking for someone who will reach across the aisle, please join me,” he said.

In his speech, Markey praised Lynch as a “warrior for working families.”

Markey, 66, touted his experience, from pressing to screen airline cargo for bombs to rewriting telecom regulations, and said he has a track record of bipartisanship. He vowed to fight for “common sense gun laws” and to protect Social Security and Medicare.

The congressman said he would try to pass a constitutional amendment barring unlimited campaign expenditures by corporations, unions and advocacy groups, and he called on Gomez to sign a pledge asking out-of-state groups not to spend money in the race.

Markey also recalled his past, noting his father was a milkman.

“Every day he got up to deliver the goods, and in the United States Senate, I am going to deliver results,” he said.

Lynch addressed cheering supporters at a post-election party at Moseley's On the Charles in Dedham.

“Because of you, we almost did it, and no one gave us a shot at this,” Lynch said in a hoarse voice. “We thought the people of Mass. should have a say.”

Markey’s win came as little surprise – several polls in the lead-up to the election pegged him as the frontrunner.

Carrying Kerry’s endorsement and support from other members of the Democratic establishment, Markey also raised $4.8 million, a little more than twice as much as Lynch, in the first three months of the year, according to the Federal Election Commission.

The Republican field was harder to predict, though a Suffolk Poll a day before the primary showed Gomez in the lead. He raised more than both his opponents combined and outspent them by a wide margin.

Page 2 of 2 - Sullivan thanked his disappointed supporters at a campaign party in Abington.

“We made it tough for him, but unfortunately, we just didn’t get enough votes,” he said.

Turnout was low in many polling places.

This is the fourth time in five years that Bay State voters have had to make decisions on U.S. Senate candidates. After a primary in 2009, voters went on to elect Republican Scott Brown over Democrat Martha Coakley in a 2010 special Senate election. Last year, voters sent Brown packing and elected Democrat Elizabeth Warren to a full six-year term.

Compared to those lively contests, the primary race got off to a quiet start this past winter. In debates, Markey and Lynch largely focused on domestic issues and their backgrounds.

Candidates suspended their campaigns after the April 15 bombing at the Boston Marathon killed three people and wounded more than 260 others. The races picked up again a week later with candidates squaring off on security and terrorism.

A special election will be held June 25 for voters to decide if Markey or Gomez will replace Kerry, who held the seat since 1985. Currently filling the position is interim U.S. Sen. William “Mo” Cowan.

(Reporters Nicholas Iovino, Alex Bloom and Jack Encarnacao contributed to this report. David Riley can be reached at 508-626-4424 or driley@wickedlocal.com.)